<s>
In	O
business	O
computer	O
information	O
systems	O
,	O
a	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
type	O
of	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
which	O
often	O
provides	O
at-a-glance	O
views	O
of	O
key	O
performance	O
indicators	O
(	O
KPIs	O
)	O
relevant	O
to	O
a	O
particular	O
objective	O
or	O
business	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
other	O
usage	O
,	O
"	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
"	O
is	O
another	O
name	O
for	O
"	O
progress	O
report	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
report	O
"	O
and	O
considered	O
a	O
form	O
of	O
data	B-Application
visualization	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
providing	O
this	O
overview	O
,	O
business	O
owners	O
can	O
save	O
time	O
and	O
improve	O
their	O
decision	O
making	O
by	O
utilizing	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
“	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
”	O
is	O
often	O
accessible	O
by	O
a	O
web	O
browser	O
and	O
is	O
usually	O
linked	O
to	O
regularly	O
updating	O
data	O
sources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Well	O
known	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
include	O
Google	B-Application
Analytics	I-Application
dashboards	B-Protocol
,	O
used	O
on	O
55%	O
of	O
all	O
websites	O
,	O
which	O
show	O
activity	O
on	O
a	O
website	O
;	O
such	O
as	O
visits	O
,	O
entry	O
pages	O
,	O
bounce	O
rate	O
and	O
traffic	O
sources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
of	O
2020	O
brought	O
other	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
to	O
the	O
fore	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Johns	O
Hopkins	O
coronavirus	O
tracker	O
and	O
the	O
UK	O
government	O
coronavirus	O
tracker	O
being	O
good	O
examples	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
originates	O
from	O
the	O
automobile	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
where	O
drivers	O
monitor	O
the	O
major	O
functions	O
at	O
a	O
glance	O
via	O
the	O
instrument	O
panel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
of	O
digital	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
followed	O
the	O
study	O
of	O
decision	B-Application
support	I-Application
systems	I-Application
in	O
the	O
1970s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
predecessors	O
of	O
the	O
modern	O
business	B-Protocol
dashboard	I-Protocol
were	O
first	O
developed	O
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
Executive	B-Application
Information	I-Application
Systems	I-Application
(	O
EISs	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
,	O
EISs	O
hibernated	O
until	O
the	O
1990s	O
when	O
the	O
information	O
age	O
quickened	O
pace	O
and	O
data	O
warehousing	O
,	O
and	O
online	B-Application
analytical	I-Application
processing	I-Application
(	O
OLAP	B-Application
)	O
allowed	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
to	O
function	O
adequately	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
availability	O
of	O
enabling	O
technologies	O
,	O
the	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
use	O
did	O
n't	O
become	O
popular	O
until	O
later	O
in	O
that	O
decade	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
rise	O
of	O
key	O
performance	O
indicators	O
(	O
KPIs	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
Robert	O
S	O
.	O
Kaplan	O
and	O
David	O
P	O
.	O
Norton	O
's	O
balanced	O
scorecard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
promoted	O
a	O
concept	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Digital	B-Application
Nervous	I-Application
System	I-Application
and	O
"	O
digital	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
"	O
were	O
described	O
as	O
being	O
one	O
leg	O
of	O
that	O
concept	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Today	O
,	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
forms	O
an	O
important	O
part	O
of	O
Business	O
Performance	O
Management	O
(	O
BPM	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
were	O
used	O
for	O
monitoring	O
purposes	O
,	O
now	O
with	O
the	O
advancement	O
of	O
technology	O
,	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
are	O
being	O
used	O
for	O
more	O
analytical	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
use	O
of	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
has	O
now	O
been	O
incorporating	O
;	O
scenario	O
analysis	O
,	O
drill	O
down	O
capabilities	O
,	O
and	O
presentation	O
format	O
flexibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
allow	O
managers	O
to	O
monitor	O
the	O
contribution	O
of	O
the	O
various	O
departments	O
in	O
their	O
organization	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
gauge	O
exactly	O
how	O
well	O
an	O
organization	O
is	O
performing	O
overall	O
,	O
digital	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
allow	O
you	O
to	O
capture	O
and	O
report	O
specific	O
data	O
points	O
from	O
each	O
department	O
within	O
the	O
organization	O
,	O
thus	O
providing	O
a	O
"	O
snapshot	O
"	O
of	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Benefits	O
of	O
using	O
digital	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
include	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
offers	O
a	O
holistic	O
view	O
of	O
the	O
entire	O
business	O
as	O
it	O
gives	O
the	O
manager	O
a	O
bird	O
's	O
eye	O
view	O
into	O
the	O
performance	O
of	O
sales	O
,	O
data	O
inventory	O
,	O
web	O
traffic	O
,	O
social	O
media	O
analytics	O
and	O
other	O
associated	O
data	O
that	O
is	O
visually	O
presented	O
on	O
a	O
single	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
lead	O
to	O
better	O
management	O
of	O
marketing/financial	O
strategies	O
as	O
a	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
for	O
the	O
display	O
of	O
marketing	O
data	O
makes	O
the	O
process	O
of	O
marketing	O
easier	O
and	O
more	O
reliable	O
as	O
compared	O
to	O
doing	O
it	O
manually	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
also	O
facilitate	O
for	O
better	O
tracking	O
of	O
sales	O
and	O
financial	O
reporting	O
as	O
the	O
data	O
is	O
more	O
precise	O
and	O
in	O
one	O
area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lastly	O
,	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
offer	O
for	O
better	O
customer	O
service	O
through	O
monitoring	O
because	O
they	O
keep	O
both	O
the	O
managers	O
and	O
the	O
clients	O
updated	O
on	O
the	O
project	O
progress	O
through	O
automated	O
emails	O
and	O
notifications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
broken	O
down	O
according	O
to	O
role	O
and	O
are	O
either	O
strategic	O
,	O
analytical	O
,	O
operational	O
,	O
or	O
informational	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
are	O
the	O
3rd	O
step	O
on	O
the	O
information	O
ladder	O
,	O
demonstrating	O
the	O
conversion	O
of	O
data	O
to	O
increasingly	O
valuable	O
insights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Strategic	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
support	O
managers	O
at	O
any	O
level	O
in	O
an	O
organization	O
and	O
provide	O
the	O
quick	O
overview	O
that	O
decision-makers	O
need	O
to	O
monitor	O
the	O
health	O
and	O
opportunities	O
of	O
the	O
business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
of	O
this	O
type	O
focus	O
on	O
high-level	O
measures	O
of	O
performance	O
and	O
forecasts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Strategic	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
benefit	O
from	O
static	O
snapshots	O
of	O
data	O
(	O
daily	O
,	O
weekly	O
,	O
monthly	O
,	O
and	O
quarterly	O
)	O
that	O
are	O
not	O
constantly	O
changing	O
from	O
one	O
moment	O
to	O
the	O
next	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
for	O
analytical	O
purposes	O
often	O
include	O
more	O
context	O
,	O
comparisons	O
,	O
and	O
history	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
subtler	O
performance	O
evaluators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
analytical	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
typically	O
support	O
interactions	O
with	O
the	O
data	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
drilling	O
down	O
into	O
the	O
underlying	O
details	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
for	O
monitoring	O
operations	O
are	O
often	O
designed	O
differently	O
from	O
those	O
that	O
support	O
strategic	O
decision	O
making	O
or	O
data	O
analysis	O
and	O
often	O
require	O
monitoring	O
of	O
activities	O
and	O
events	O
that	O
are	O
constantly	O
changing	O
and	O
might	O
require	O
attention	O
and	O
response	O
at	O
a	O
moment	O
's	O
notice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
may	O
be	O
laid	O
out	O
to	O
track	O
the	O
flows	O
inherent	O
in	O
the	O
business	O
processes	O
that	O
they	O
monitor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
main	O
types	O
of	O
digital	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
dominate	O
the	O
market	O
today	O
:	O
desktop	O
software	O
applications	O
,	O
web-browser-based	O
applications	O
,	O
and	O
desktop	O
applications	O
are	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
desktop	O
widgets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
are	O
driven	O
by	O
a	O
widget	B-Application
engine	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Desktop	O
and	O
Browser-based	O
providers	O
enable	O
the	O
distribution	O
of	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
via	O
a	O
web	O
browser	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Specialized	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
may	O
track	O
all	O
corporate	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
include	O
human	O
resources	O
,	O
recruiting	O
,	O
sales	O
,	O
operations	O
,	O
security	O
,	O
information	B-General_Concept
technology	I-General_Concept
,	O
project	O
management	O
,	O
customer	O
relationship	O
management	O
,	O
digital	O
marketing	O
and	O
many	O
more	O
departmental	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
a	O
smaller	O
organization	O
like	O
a	O
startup	O
a	O
compact	O
startup	O
scorecard	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
tracks	O
important	O
activities	O
across	O
lot	O
of	O
domains	O
ranging	O
from	O
social	O
media	O
to	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
projects	O
involve	O
business	O
units	O
as	O
the	O
driver	O
and	O
the	O
information	B-General_Concept
technology	I-General_Concept
department	O
as	O
the	O
enabler	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Therefore	O
,	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
projects	O
depends	O
on	O
the	O
relevancy/importance	O
of	O
information	O
provided	O
within	O
the	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Key	O
performance	O
indicators	O
,	O
balanced	O
scorecards	O
,	O
and	O
sales	O
performance	O
figures	O
are	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
content	O
appropriate	O
on	O
business	B-Protocol
dashboards	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
involve	O
the	O
combination	O
of	O
visual	O
and	O
functional	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
performance	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
sits	O
at	O
the	O
intersection	O
of	O
two	O
powerful	O
disciplines	O
:	O
business	B-General_Concept
intelligence	I-General_Concept
and	O
performance	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Therefore	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
different	O
users	O
who	O
could	O
use	O
these	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
for	O
different	O
reasons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Then	O
executives	O
could	O
utilize	O
the	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
to	O
evaluate	O
strategic	O
performance	O
against	O
objectives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Balanced	O
scorecards	O
and	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
have	O
been	O
linked	O
together	O
as	O
if	O
they	O
were	O
interchangeable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
although	O
both	O
visually	O
display	O
critical	O
information	O
,	O
the	O
difference	O
is	O
in	O
the	O
format	O
:	O
Scorecards	O
can	O
open	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
an	O
operation	O
while	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
provide	O
calculated	O
direction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
design	O
of	O
a	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
is	O
more	O
loosely	O
defined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
are	O
usually	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
graphics	O
,	O
charts	O
,	O
gauges	O
and	O
other	O
visual	O
indicators	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
monitored	O
and	O
interpreted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
when	O
there	O
is	O
a	O
strategic	O
link	O
,	O
on	O
a	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
,	O
it	O
may	O
not	O
be	O
noticed	O
as	O
such	O
since	O
objectives	O
are	O
not	O
normally	O
present	O
on	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
customized	O
to	O
link	O
their	O
graphs	O
and	O
charts	O
to	O
strategic	O
objectives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
technology	O
is	O
available	O
"	O
out-of-the-box	O
"	O
from	O
many	O
software	O
providers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
companies	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
continue	O
to	O
do	O
in-house	O
development	O
and	O
maintenance	O
of	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Good	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
design	O
practices	O
take	O
into	O
account	O
and	O
address	O
the	O
following	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
a	O
few	O
key	O
elements	O
to	O
a	O
good	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
:	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
research-based	O
framework	O
for	O
Business	B-General_Concept
Intelligence	I-General_Concept
dashboard	B-Protocol
design	O
includes	O
the	O
following	O
questions	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
serve	O
as	O
a	O
visual	O
representation	O
for	O
a	O
company	O
to	O
monitor	O
progress	O
and	O
trends	O
,	O
not	O
only	O
among	O
themselves	O
but	O
against	O
other	O
companies	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
and	O
visualizations	O
contain	O
data	O
that	O
is	O
updated	O
in	O
real	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Power	O
BI	O
pulls	O
data	O
from	O
Excel	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
create	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
and	O
visualizations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tableau	O
is	O
another	O
program	O
that	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
create	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tableau	O
has	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
make	O
interactive	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
by	O
clicking	O
into	O
a	O
specific	O
point	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
tools	O
Excel	O
offers	O
is	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
conditional	O
formatting	O
and	O
basic	O
pivot	B-Application
tables	I-Application
and	O
charts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
certain	O
guidelines	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
useful	O
when	O
creating	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
and	O
other	O
visualizations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
it	O
comes	O
to	O
how	O
you	O
are	O
arranging	O
your	O
information	O
on	O
your	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
or	O
a	O
visualization	O
it	O
can	O
be	O
helpful	O
to	O
think	O
about	O
reading	O
direction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Local	O
proximity	O
is	O
another	O
idea	O
to	O
keep	O
in	O
mind	O
when	O
creating	O
a	O
visual	O
or	O
a	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Interacting	O
with	O
the	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
would	O
allow	O
for	O
further	O
detail	O
to	O
be	O
obtained	O
from	O
the	O
user	O
and	O
allow	O
them	O
to	O
better	O
understand	O
the	O
information	O
on	O
your	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chart	O
visualization	O
is	O
an	O
important	O
aspect	O
when	O
creating	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
,	O
diagrams	O
in	O
particular	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
you	O
have	O
complex	O
data	O
it	O
can	O
be	O
difficult	O
to	O
come	O
to	O
conclusions	O
from	O
that	O
material	O
and	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
have	O
different	O
visual	O
elements	O
within	O
the	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
helpful	O
in	O
giving	O
a	O
larger	O
overview	O
of	O
the	O
material	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Looking	O
at	O
traditional	O
business	O
graphics	O
in	O
an	O
interactive	O
form	O
is	O
another	O
aspect	O
to	O
keep	O
in	O
mind	O
when	O
creating	O
a	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Business	O
charts	O
are	O
used	O
mainly	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
interactive	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
many	O
connections	O
between	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
and	O
accounting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
aid	O
with	O
budgeting	O
,	O
management	O
control	O
,	O
and	O
wage	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
are	O
used	O
to	O
present	O
data	O
in	O
a	O
quick	O
and	O
easy	O
to	O
read	O
way	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
are	O
used	O
for	O
performance	O
reports	O
,	O
sales	O
analysis	O
on	O
sectors	O
,	O
and	O
inventory	O
rotation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
should	O
be	O
quick	O
visualizations	O
that	O
allow	O
decisions	O
to	O
be	O
made	O
quicker	O
than	O
they	O
usually	O
would	O
without	O
the	O
access	O
to	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dashboards	B-Protocol
are	O
also	O
used	O
in	O
accounting	O
decision	O
making	O
settings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
for	O
a	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
to	O
be	O
efficient	O
,	O
the	O
individual	O
creating	O
the	O
dashboard	B-Protocol
needs	O
to	O
make	O
sure	O
that	O
the	O
information	O
is	O
simple	O
and	O
easy	O
to	O
read	O
and	O
be	O
interpreted	O
.	O
</s>
